Matt Shipman

Sep 27, 2013

Study Shows Innovative Program Helps Limit Domestic Violence

October is domestic violence awareness month, and the statistics are horrifying. Nearly three in 10 women have been stalked or assaulted by their partner, and states reported investigating abuse cases involving 5.9 million children in 2010. It hurts children to be exposed to domestic violence, and child maltreatment and partner abuse too often happen in… 

Sep 25, 2013

The 21st Century Professor: Evaluating the Future of Instruction in Higher Education

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Jeff Braden, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of psychology at NC State. Braden is leading a study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to determine whether computer-based instruction is as effective as conventional classroom instruction in higher education. What makes… 

Sep 23, 2013

Researchers Seek to Control Prosthetic Legs With Neural Signals

Most people don’t think about the difference between walking across the room and walking up a flight of stairs. Their brains (and their legs) automatically adjust to the new conditions. But for people using prosthetic legs, there is no automatic link between their bodies and the prosthetics that they need to negotiate the new surroundings.… 

Sep 19, 2013

LEGO Robot Builders Form Emotional Bond to Their Creations

Psychology researchers have found that people who build robots form an emotional bond to their creations – though the bond is different from the sort of attachments people form with other people or pets. The researchers surveyed 16 undergraduates who built robots out of LEGOs as part of a robotics education course. All of the… 

Sep 18, 2013

Scaling Up Personalized Query Results for Next Generation of Search Engines

North Carolina State University researchers have developed a way for search engines to provide users with more accurate, personalized search results. The challenge in the past has been how to scale this approach up so that it doesn’t consume massive computer resources. Now the researchers have devised a technique for implementing personalized searches that is… 

Sep 17, 2013

Smaller than Small: Why We Measure the Space between Atoms

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Jacob Jones, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at NC State. We study the movement of incredibly small things. How small is small? Think smaller than “nano.” Think smaller than atoms themselves. We measure the infinitesimally small shifts in the positions of atoms to electrical forces.… 

Sep 17, 2013

NC State Lands $7.3M ‘Citizen Science’ Grant to Boost Research in Schools

North Carolina State University is taking the lead on a five-year, $7.3 million “citizen science” initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the program is to give science teachers and students the opportunity to engage in meaningful scientific research while improving the educational success of both teachers and students. 

Sep 16, 2013

NC State Event Focuses on Science, Technology and Democracy

What: Sheila Jasanoff, founder of the Kennedy School of Government’s program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard University, will be speaking on “The Invisible Constitution: Science, Technology and Democracy in Europe and the United States.” 

Sep 16, 2013

New Model Should Expedite Development of Temperature-Stable Nano-Alloys

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new theoretical model that will speed the development of new nanomaterial alloys that retain their advantageous properties at elevated temperatures. 

Sep 12, 2013

How Computer Models Help Keep the Lights on In Kenya

In Kenya, water is power. Literally. And to keep the lights on, Kenyan authorities want to know how much water they can expect in upcoming rainy seasons. That’s where computer models come in. Fifty-eight percent of Kenya’s power supply stems from the country’s hydropower system in the Tana River basin. That system will shut down… 

Sep 11, 2013

Airbrushing Could Facilitate Large-Scale Manufacture of Carbon Nanofibers

Researchers from North Carolina State University used airbrushing techniques to grow vertically aligned carbon nanofibers on several different metal substrates, opening the door for incorporating these nanofibers into gene delivery devices, sensors, batteries and other technologies. 

Sep 10, 2013

New Magnetic Semiconductor Material Holds Promise for ‘Spintronics’

Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a new compound that can be integrated into silicon chips and is a dilute magnetic semiconductor – meaning that it could be used to make “spintronic” devices, which rely on magnetic force to operate, rather than electrical currents. 

Sep 10, 2013

Face-to-Face: Skull Study Shows Variation of Pre-Columbian Cultures in Mexico

Analysis of the skulls of prehistoric peoples in Mexico reveals significant regional variation in the facial characteristics of indigenous populations – indicating that there were notable physical differences between geographically separate groups before the arrival of Europeans. 

Sep 9, 2013

Wide Left: Study Shows that Holders Play Key Role in Field Goal Accuracy

NFL and college football teams are back in action, and their success often hinges on the accuracy of their field goal kickers. When the field goals are made, kickers are heroes. When they miss, they’re goats. But a study by aerospace researchers shows that kickers aren’t always at fault – the way the ball is… 

Sep 6, 2013

New Connection between Stacked Solar Cells Can Handle Energy of 70,000 Suns

North Carolina State University researchers have come up with a new technique for improving the connections between stacked solar cells, which should improve the overall efficiency of solar energy devices and reduce the cost of solar energy production. The new connections can allow these cells to operate at solar concentrations of 70,000 suns worth of…